A shocking coronavirus report has shown areas of Cumbria have some of the worst infection rates in the country.

Data from Public Health England has shown that areas like Carlisle and Copeland have been hard hit, with Barrow branded the worst in the UK.

The Carlisle City Council area is ranked 10th, out of 300 areas in the country, with 397 cases, of people testing positive, per 100,000 people.

And Copeland comes close with a figure of 374.

Barrow however has 540 people in the borough testing positive, a rate of 804.3 per 100,000, 50 per cent greater than anywhere else in the country.

In comparison, the worst affected area in London, Brent, has a figure of 421.

Leader of Carlisle City Council, John Mallinson, said: “We were aware that Carlisle was not in a good position and I was aware that Barrow was badly hit.

“From a layman’s point of view it is terrible, horrific – all we can do is trust what the experts and see what they can do to mitigate this pandemic before more lives are lost.”

Carlisle’s MP, John Stevenson said: “For whatever reason Carlisle has been badly hit and it's tragic for the families involved. It will hopefully be brought under control shortly.”

He added that the Government had have a plan to get people to be economical and socially active again.

Copeland Conservative councillor Jeffrey Hailes, who represents St Bees, said that many people still visit from outside the area.

He said: “I’ve found four or five people come from outside and the police are stretched."

Mr Hailes, who is also an essential worker at Sellafield said: “It could have been a lot worse if people had not been adhering to the rules, most people have worked so hard and put in the effort to do this.”

Another Copeland Labour councillor, Stephen Tyson, who represents Whitehaven South, said he thinks the figures show it is too early to come out of lockdown.

He said: “I’m all for the lockdown, it should be for at least another three weeks and not eased off at all. We’ve perhaps started the lockdown later than other countries so in effect we are still behind them.”

Geoff Jolliffe, clinical chair of the Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The message here is do not relax on the rules.”